Wednesday, January 26, 2011

I figured they have to go somewhere or my efforts will be wasted! Either that, I should stop taking food pictures. Someone told me my big boss commented to him, "You're taking pictures of food? Isn't that sad?"

When YB's parents were visiting in December, we took them to Kuchai Lama to try Fish Head Noodles at Win Soon Restaurant. Prices can vary from RM7.80 to RM10+, depending on your order.

Recently my colleague brought us there for lunch because he was craving for it. Both he and his girlfriend frequent the place during most weekends.

Dave's is our favourite restaurant in 1Utama. Where else can you be loaded with pork? Hehe. But speaking of pork, I think we were going to be sick by the time we finished our dinner - too much pork!

We had the Caesar's salad and their signature ham+mayo+pineapple pizza.

We also tried their Asparagus wrapped with bacon (RM5 per stick). It used to be enoki mushrooms wrapped with bacon!!!

When Yin Yin told me that there was a nearby place serving Lui Cha, I told YB we had to try it one fine day. And that day finally came. Hor Por Restaurant is just around the corner from here.

At RM10, they serve your Lui Cha as picture above. That's for two persons, by the way.

We also ordered their fried rice (something, I can't remember!) and Yam buttons (RM6). Mind you, as it was a restaurant serving Hakka dishes, we had to try something hakka!

YB was disappointed with the Yam buttons, saying that all he could taste was flour. I told him that didn't my mum say yam was costly these days?

As the shop was air-conditioned, it's no wonder that their prices are on the high side. RM10 for Lui Cha, seriously? Not too sure if we'll ever go back there again if I should ever have cravings for Lui Cha again!

Since we were not going to make it for our movie at GSC 1Utama, we headed to Uptown for dinner instead. I insisted we try Jojo Little Kitchen for pan mee, since we always ate at Face2Face. Try some place new!

They have set deals for the day at RM8.50, and so I opted for the herbal chicken pan mee (sweet and non-spicy). I don't like my herbs to be hard! I was sorely disappointed with my choice,. =S

YB was on a roll for his quest for Fish Head noodles, so he opted to try their pan mee, fish head noodle style. He was bummed as it wasn't great.

I teased him to say that we're at a pan mee shop, surely we should have stuck to their signature dry chilli pan mee or traditional pan mee instead of being fancy? Hahaha! We really didn't enjoy our dinner that night.

YB wanted me to try this place where his colleagues and he went for lunch. Ang Kee Restaurant in Cheow Yang, is famous for its Lala Meehoon.

We only had that and a plate of green vegetables for dinner.

I'm not sure what's all the fuss about the Lala Meehoon, but my colleague told me that they are also known for its ... I can't remember what dish, but there are loads to try, anyway!

We were in Uptown to have my car serviced and without knowing where to go or what to eat, we wandered around until we ended up back at Gou Lou Restaurant where we previously tried their fish head noodles.

This time, we tried their curry mee instead.

OK, honestly, if I stare hard at these pictures, I feel like swearing off curry mee. Look at the oil! *gag*

My colleague received a huge box of chocolates for her birthday and offered us to try. One for YB and one for me. I have to admit, the blue is kinda garish.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

It was a Saturday, January 15th. YB and I were wandering around PJ, not knowing where to go for good coffee. I then remember my colleague recommending Coffee Ritual to try. He did warn me, however, that they could be pricey for some people.

While waiting for our food and coffee, a group of enforcement officers came in on their rounds. I get so worked up seeing them as I feel that most of them are cocky and love creating havoc during business hours.

One of them asked to see the shop's licence, and the lady informed him that their licence sticker is on the glass door. No, the officer said, he wanted to see the papers.

Only one officer was checking the papers, while the rest were resting their poor aching (ugly) butts after a hard day's work. phhbbbt.

Anyway, we were disappointed when we were told they were not serving sandwiches for lunch. YB was hungry so we had to order something. We had no choice but to settle for crepes, as that was the only thing they were serving.

I have definitely forgotten what was it that we ordered. Mushroom & Turkey Toast Crepe (RM10.40) is my best bet!

(oops, it's actually COFFEE Ritual, not Cafe Ritual. *shy*)

Ooh, it's cheesy as well!

I was relieved to find it pleasing, but I only ate half of my share as I was still full from breakfast.

For coffee, I opted for the Flat White (RM6.20) and YB had the Sumatra Mandheling (RM6). We both enjoyed our coffee!

Thursday, January 20, 2011

The sudden urge to "bake" cookies came upon me on Tuesday when I was reading Eat Live Run. It never occurred to me that I could make cookies without the need to bake them!

So I set out to try the recipe with slightly different main ingredients: rolled oats, almonds, dark chocolate and Marie biscuits. Butter and milk are also required.

Now the 'original' recipe included cocoa, chocolate chips and sugar but I excluded those. The thought of the cookies being too sweet ... well, didn't catch my fancy.

First, I cooked the oats slightly. The recipe never said you needed to cook it, but I was hesitant. This could have been the problem, but I'll explain this to you later. hehe.

OK, so I was being thrifty. I really wanted digestive biscuits, but I didn't want to waste money in the event my experiment turned out wrong! =P

Almonds. I bought a huge bag, thinking it was RM5.99 but it turned out to be RM13.99. Nooooooooes~ ...*noms*They're quite addictive, though! I'll just add them into my morning cereal. =)Because I didn't want to buy baking/cooking chocolate. =P

I blended the almonds because I didn't have a pestle. I need a pestle!(I have informed YB of this. His reaction? "To do what again? Crush almonds? For what, sorry? "Bake" cookies?")

I crushed the Marie biscuits with my hands and mixed them both together.

To the stove we go!One tablespoon of butter. Throw in the chocolate bits (approximatedly 9 squares) and pour in some milk.Add in the oats, biscuits and almonds. Mix and stir.

At this rate, I thought I was making my breakfast porridge of oats, but with chocolate. =P

THEN, I was supposed to wet my hands and make cookie balls with my bare hands and then gently flatten them but because I feared I was going to scald myself *roll eyes* I just used 2 spoons and put them on plates.

Refrigerate until they are hard.

In my case, they never became hard. WHY??It could have been the cooked oats, as they retained too much moisture.

Anyway, even without sugar, they were sweet. I'm adding in more oats and biscuits next time!

I think they were still nice to eat, though. =DIn fact, they're all gone!

Monday, January 17, 2011

I knew right from the start that I was going to fail. I wasn't giving it enough time to simmer slowly for the curry to seep into the pumpkin and chicken because I was tired and it was 1030pm. I didn't have the time to wait for it to cook properly.

By rushing it, I knew it wouldn't taste as fantastic as I'd imagine it to be.

Nevertheless, it was still edible but not a dish I'd proudly serve my guests. =P

Next time, I'll have to start cooking in the afternoon.And I'll need to learn how to make it less thick.

Monday, January 10, 2011

I came across my draft listing down my supposed 2011 resolutions which i've yet to decide/confirm whether they should be published. i found them quite funny really, as they did not include "eat less chocolates" and "don't buy too many magazines and books" this year - i guess i've resigned to the fact that i will always be hooked on books and chocolates.

I'm just going to break down the resolutions into categories:

Activities:1. To complete at least ONE full marathon.2. To maintain a sub-60min for 10km.3. To do at least 2 dive trips.4. To get my Advanced Open Water cert.5. To make the 3 major holidays happen! =D

Personal:1. Lose 3-4kg by April 2011. (Oooh, it's going to be tough!)2. To keep track of all the books I've read (in fact, I've already started this in November!)3. To be a bit more tidy/organised - this will be a definite failure, i know it!4. To start writing letters again - LOL! But i really do miss letters in my mailboxes!5. To try a new recipe at LEAST once a month (guess what's in store for January? Chicken & Pumpkin Curry and Glutinous Sesame Balls!)6. To save enough money for 3 upcoming major trips for the year!7. To be able to express my happiness properly - everyone thinks I'm a cranky old woman because of my perpetual frown!8. To start saving more and investing! 9. To be a better photographer.

In summary, 2011 goals are:1. To obtain my Advanced Open Water (AOW)2. To achieve my target weight and maintain it forever! (Biggest challenge ever!)3. To do a 2-hour half marathon (it doesn't sound right to say sub-2)4. To be able to achieve and maintain my target weight.5. To get that 3 major holidays/trip for the year sorted!

Sunday, January 9, 2011

I dragged the Captain to accompany me to the Pacesetters' Track Meet 2011 at Selayang Stadium this morning. We arrived at 7am, thinking that the first event would kick off then. It only started 15mins after 7am.

I was there to attempt some sports photography, seeing that my camera has been neglected for some time now.

There are two reasons why I love this picture. First, her stride is amazingly long - I aspire to reach that level, the illusion of long legs (for tubby people like me) and looking like a gazelle. Secondly, I love how her daughter is enjoying running as well and her mum is running along with her to keep her going. The girl participated in a few events, if i'm not mistaken, the 100m and the 200m.

*Sigh*

Do you think my kids are going to pick up running as well. if and when I have kids? =D

OK, I'm actually beginning with the last day of 2010 where we were busy with goodness knows what, I honestly can't remember. Dinner that night was somewhere in Kepong where the Captain (of Dutamas Runners) kindly extended the invitation to both YB and I to join his friends.

With a table for ten, it was definitely an excuse to order more dishes. =)

I don't think I ate much that night, I did my best to control myself, but heh, come late that night, I was peckish.

The next day was the first day of 2011 and I spent almost 8 hours in Pavilion doing some shopping and eating, of course. Ah, it was great catching up with the bff, although we didn't have enough time.

We decided to have tea with Jill at Godiva's and you know when girls get together, it's always necessary to have desserts. We had a slice each of the Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate to share while each of us ordered our own drink.

The Dark Chocolate was very rich and at first bite, I went on a high. It tingled my senses and enveloped me in thick, rich, chocolatey goodness which my Dark Chocolate Decadence drink failed to do.

The White Chocolate was plain OK for me, but I know the bff preferred it since it was less rich.

The problem with indulgence is that once you allow it, sometimes it'll rekindle your sweet tooth craving and then I'm toast. The diet falls back on to square one. Phhhbbt.

On Tuesday I accompanied my colleague to Merienda de Eva just for fun. I ended up buying a slice of Strawberry Cheesecake because it looked fresh, and the thick base was so tempting. The centre was a bit too soft for me, while the outer side was on the dry side. Nevertheless, it was pretty good.

On Wednesday saw my team having lunch with one of service providers at The Ming Roonm, BSC. Dim sum!Strangely, once again, I didn't eat much. I'm not sure whether it was because there weren't many dishes for everyone to indulge or I was trying not to be too greedy.

My favourite is always the egg tart. I had two pieces, because everyone was shy! =D

Then we headed down to the Gourmet on the ground floor to check out the savoury stuff.

I then felt bad that no one wanted to buy ANYTHING so I decided to buy 3 Chocolate puffs (RM1.40 each) and one Double Chocolate Muffin (RM3.80). Before you judge me and my lack of control, I only had the Double Chocolate Muffin while I gave away the chocolate puffs. =D

I must have had high expectations because I only found the muffin to be OK. It was rightly moist inside but dry on the top. Perhaps I should have heated it up just a tad bit?

Last night, we had to meet up with some friends for drinks so we decided to have dinner first. We found our way to 3 Two Square at Section 19, Petaling Jaya and thought we'd try out Boston.Not sure what (stupid) noodles YB ordered but it was NOT value for money. Don't be misled by its 'healthy' bland look but it turned spicy once you mix everything together - there was some sambal right at the bottom of the bowl.

I chose the Spicy Brinjal and Fish Fillet baked rice which didn't look baked at all! Regardless, the dish was surprisingly tasty. =)

Besides that, YB ordered the yam milk shake which was HORRIBLE. It was disgustingly milky and sugary sweet.

I'd say to you, please avoid their outlets at all cost. It's like Kim Gary but worse. =P

Friday, January 7, 2011

It was a hectic weekend with trying to squeeze in as many activities as possible, though I'm sure nothing much (on my part) was accomplished. Seriously, you should know that by now! hehe. I'm good at making great plans but somehow I always manage to accomplish only half of them. =D

I'm trying to crack my head here, what was it that we did on Christmas day. I honestly cannot remember!

All I remember is with Ken and Nur back in KL for a while, we arranged to have dinner together. We first had to wait for Nur to return from Alor Setar before YB and I went over to Ken's place.

We hung out for a while (to play with his darling children) until it was 830pm and we finally headed out to Taman Tun ... STILL indecisive with our venue!

We ended up checking out Porto Romano in TTDI, facing Persiaran Zaaba. It was surprising that they didn't have an additional 30% surcharge, seeing that it was Christmas after all.

Since the place was full, we were given a table outside. It became uncomfortable for me when patrons on tables both sides from us started smoking. I started to fan myself with the menu because the smoke was in my face! *hmmfh*

Thankfully a table inside cleared and we managed have it before other patrons 'chup' it.

Ken had the french onion soup (no picture) which he said was disappointing. He was expecting one which is traditionally served with croutons and cheese as toppings.

YB and I ordered the Hawaiian Pizza and Vongole Spaghetti, while Ken and Nur chose the Calzone and steak something (no picture). The Calzone looked like a huge curry puff, but it was pretty tasty, better than the Hawaiian Pizza.

While the ham slices and pineapple pieces were slightly thick and dry on the pizza, the ham slices in the calzone were juicier, perhaps cooked better?

I'm not sure which steak they had but take a look at the piece of broccolli!

Ken's has fancy toppings while YB and I opted for the fruity ones.

After dinner, we went around looking for a place for ice-cream but couldn't find any nearby. So we decided to try out Tutti Frutti which is situated on the same row as KFC.

You know me, always hesitant in trying new and pricey places! So I guess I finally had the chance to put that aside and be adventurous.

So at RM5.30 per 100 grams, you are to select your flavours from Green Apple, Raspberry, Chocolate, Vanilla, Orange and Yam. Next, you choose your toppings and then it's weighing time.

Both YB and I shared a cup, while Nur and Ken had one each. Our total bill came up to RM38 something! That's probably 800gms between us? Crazy!

I noticed a few parents coming in with kids in tow... I'm not sure if I'd allow my kids to have a free rein of pricey yoghurt - what if they fill the cup with 500gms each and can't finish it?? =P

Raspberry turned out to be my favourite, with Yam coming second. But it make me think, though, how healthy can it be when you can taste the artificial sweetness, espcially for the Yam flavour?

Nur has always wanted us to take her hiking so we woke up early the next day to hike Bukit Tabur. The view was utterly breathtaking ... mesmerising - the day I didn't lug my camera up with me!

But that's ok, I'll just nick it off YB's album. =)

We then drove all the way to Damansara Utama to have nasi lemak at Village Park. Well, both of them had nasi lemak whilst I settled for the soto ayam - I was still recovering from tonsilitis! =(

Now I remember!

Saturday afternoon was spent at Doreen's place in Shah Alam for lunch. I couldn't eat much as most of the dishes were spicy. I'm sure they were great, though.

It was lovely to see both her and Devi again, as it's been a while since I last saw them. My ex-colleagues from many years ago and now friends. =)

Devi's family were there as well and I did my best to capture pictures of her grandchildren but it was tough! As you know, kids don't sit still and if they do, they stare at you so hard that you'd feel embarrassed. It's as if you're violating their privacy! ;)

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I am Yvonne.

*I love hiking and running the trails, and it's what we try to do every weekend. I love cooking so I do share my recipes and experiments occasionally. I am doing my best to stop taking pictures of my food when we eat out!